The blog contains articles by the author which appear in various newspapers in Kashmir and are also available on the website: www.kashmirfirst.com

Wednesday, November 8, 2017

Kashmir’s Unending Power Famine!

(An
area having one of the highest potentials of hydro-electric power has been
facing a perennial power famine due to corruption and criminal negligence of
its politicians and bureaucrats!)

Keeping the tradition
of the erstwhile Maharaja’s tradition alive, the Durbar has moved to the
salubrious climate of Jammu, leaving the valley people to face the worst ever
power famine during the freezing winter! It is the worst tragedy of Kashmir
that in spite of the capacity to generate thousands of megawatts of
hydro-electric power, its inhabitants are always facing shortage of power
especially during severe winters. Kashmir’s two neighbouring countries in
connivance with the World Bank have virtually robbed it of its invaluable
resource. It is a pity that an organisation like the World Bank did not keep
any provision for the inhabitants of a territory whose water resources they
were mutually dividing between its two neighbours! In a way, while dividing the
waters of Kashmir without keeping a provision for the local inhabitants, India
and Pakistan have committed a robbery! Pakistanis probably thought that one day
Kashmir will fall in their lap and because of that accepted all Kashmir Rivers
as their share. On the Indian side, the National Hydro-electric Power
Corporation stole whatever was left as Kashmir’s share. From the profits of their
Kashmir projects they are supposed to have earned 900 billion rupees so far!

However, if one delves
deep into this whole mess which has created a power famine in Kashmir, it
transpires that basically it is Kashmir’s politicians and bureaucrats who have
actively connived in this loot! For
last few decades, power woes are very much a part of the Kashmiri life in
winter. It is not only our misfortune but is also a disgrace for the ruling
elite which have been in political power all these years. There is hardly
anyone who has not heard politicians of all hues and shades claim from the
pulpits the hydro-power generation capacity of our rivers. The estimates vary
from 20,000 to 25,000 megawatts or even more. Unfortunately, as already stated,
all these rivers have been mortgaged to Pakistan by the Indian government.
Kashmir’s so called political leaders have either signed on the dotted line or
in some cases have not been taken on board at all! Well, the loss of our rights
on these rivers through Indus Water Treaty is not the only basis for the mess
even though it is one of the major factors. The entire process of power
development in the state has been lopsided from the very start. Initially,
before 1947 we had only the Mohura Power House which used to supply power. It
continued for quite some time.

Those days one was not used to cooking or heating with the
help of electric gadgets. A light bulb was the most precious possession. After
1947, the demand for power increased and the state went in for newer projects.
We got P S Gill as our power commissioner who worked out a detailed plan for
development of various projects. Two projects, one at Ganderbal and the other
near Baramulla, the Lower Jhelum came up. Gill was totally attuned to run of
the river projects and did not consider any storage based project. We also got
bogged down by the Indus Water Treaty which had tied our hands behind the back.
The result was a perennial race between the demand and supply. We have still
not been able to bridge the gap between demand and supply especially during
winter. This is because the freezing temperatures decrease the flow of water in
our rivers and the power houses operate at a very low generation capacity.

It is not only the lack of
generation within Kashmir or the import from outside which is the main culprit.
Basically it is the system which is thoroughly corrupt. We want power but do
not want pay for it. It is often given out that we have over 50% transmission
or distribution losses. This is not true. These losses only amount to no more
than 10% or so. 40% loss or even more is due to pilferage. Dishonesty at all
levels. Corruption has seeped into our bloodstream. One would not have expected
any pilferage in the metered areas but unfortunately it may be as much as in
non-metered areas if not more! Strangely it is the linemen supposed to check pilferage
who are showing consumers how to by-pass the meters. They are alleged to charge
100 rupees per month from these pilfers. Some consumers have a separate service
line which they hook onto the mains bypassing the meter after dark. The linemen
know this and keep their mouths shut against a monthly “fee”.

According to recent press
reports, the present winter is going to be the worst in our memory as regards
the power. The latest problem has been caused by the lack of facilities for
transmission of power from the Northern Grid to the valley! Allegedly, there
have been inordinate delays on the part of the administration in sanctioning
and releasing funds for the two grid stations which could have increased the
capacity for transmission. The peak requirement of the valley is supposed to be
1700 Megawatts while as the transmission capacity is only 1200 Megawatts. In
fact, it is a funny situation, there is enough power available in the market
and the government is ready to pay for it forgetting the realisation of
revenues, yet we cannot bring it home as we have no carriage facilities. There
could not be a worse misfortune than this! Will there ever be accountability
for such lapses! Not till Kashmir remains an orphan! Everybody wants it but no
body sincerely owns it! Well, the only choice is to forget all the modern
gadgets and go back to Kangris and Bukharis and pray for our salvation!